Bond Hearings (Oct. 1, 2013)The following individuals appeared in felony bond hearings Monday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear Nov. 4 in Circuit Court. • Jonathan Cossey, 24, possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia — $10,000. A woman reported witnessing a man shooting up in the restroom at Harps Food Store. When offic...

Escape of 3 inmates preventable, report finds CONWAY (AP) — An internal investigation at the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office found that last month’s escape of three inmates could have been prevented had staff members followed the rules. “I feel the escape could have been prevented if the officers performed the duties stated in policy,” Capt. Lloyd Vincent said in a memo to Maj. John Randall. “Instead, they chose not to.” Documents obtained by the Log Cabin Democrat showed that the detent...

Student charged with Bradford High School threat BRADFORD (AP) — Authorities in White County have charged a student at Bradford High School with terroristic threatening after he allegedly threatened to shoot another student. Superintendent Arthur Dunn said Friday that the student is home with his parents. Dunn couldn’t say whether the student is under suspension or expelled but said the boy’s parents would have to address the matter with the school board. Dunn told The Daily Citizen he learn...

Prosecutors aim for third trial for ex-LR officer LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A former Little Rock police officer accused of recklessly killing a 15-year-old boy he caught breaking into cars will be tried a third time, prosecutors said Friday. A jury deadlocked on Thursday, the second time this year jurors couldn't agree whether Josh Hastings acted properly when he fired three shots into a car at a Little Rock apartment complex. Bobby Moore III was killed Aug. 12, 2012, when Hastings responded to a ca...

$300K bond for murder suspectA local woman has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and held in lieu of $300,000 bond. Danetta Star, 53, appeared in felony bond hearings Friday at the Pope County Detention Center. She is accused in the Sept. 2 death of Cecil Gray, 86. Officers said a physical altercation between Star and Gray caused the heart attack that killed the man. Read the full report in Saturday's edition of The Courier.

Ex-Montana teacher freed after 30-day term for rape BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A former Montana high school teacher registered as a sex offender and checked in with his probation officer during his first day of freedom after completing a 30-day sentence for raping a 14-year-old girl. Stacey Rambold, 54, was picked up at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge by a family member Thursday, even as the state Supreme Court reviewed the sentence and critics called for the removal of the judge who handled...

Teen pleads not guilty in girl’s death BLYTHEVILLE (AP) — An Arkansas teenager accused of killing an 11-year-old girl has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. Seventeen-year-old Christopher Sowell pleaded not guilty to the charge on Thursday. He’s due back in court on Oct. 14, and his trial is set to begin on Nov. 12. Sowell is accused of killing 11-year-old Jessica Williams. Authorities found the girl’s body in a ditch near Gosnell last month. Sowell was previously ordered t...

Arkansas court asked to throw out veteran’s conviction LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Lawyers for an Iraq War veteran convicted of killing his girlfriend told Arkansas’ highest court on Thursday that his case never should have gone to trial. Steven Russell’s attorneys told the state Supreme Court that their client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and should have been found not guilty because of a mental disease or defect. Russell, 34, was convicted of capital murder in the 2009 death of Joy Owens a...

Ouachita County judge pleads innocent to new charges EL DORADO (AP) — Ouachita County Judge Mike Hesterly has pleaded not guilty to new charges handed down by a grand jury earlier this month. Hesterly was charged in January with bribery and conspiracy after federal prosecutors accused him of defrauding the federal government out of disaster relief funds following the 2009 tornadoes in Ouachita County. The El Dorado News-Times reported Thursday that Hesterly and co-defendant Harry Clemons Jr. wai...

Bond set for suspect in shootingBond has been set at $20,000 for a man accused of shooting his neighbor Monday evening. Keith Warnick, 49, is suspected of second-degree battery, a felony charge. A Pope County Sheriff’s Office deputy testified officers responded to a call just before 7 p.m. Monday on Warnick Lane, north of Dover. When they arrived, officials found a victim with “pretty severe” damage to both legs. Warnick was taken into custody after statements were made to o...

Pope County man allegedly shoots neighborA Pope County man is in custody after allegedly shooting a neighbor during an altercation Monday. Sheriff Aaron DuVall said law enforcement officials responded to a shooting on Warnick Lane north of Dover Monday evening. Through the course of investigation, law enforcement determined the shooting occurred after the victim, a 57-year-old male, allegedly got into an argument with his neighbor around 6:50 p.m. During the altercation, a shotgun wa...

Law change sought to keep fish farmers out of jail LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A federal wildlife protection law passed in 1900 has put modern-day fish farmers at risk of being fined or jailed if they accidentally ship an undocumented fish across state line. A congressman in Arkansas, third in the nation for aquaculture production, wants things to change. Known as the Lacey Act, the law was intended to ban illegally killed game animals from being shipped across state lines. It was expanded in 1981 to i...

Pipe bombs seized during search of Jonesboro home JONESBORO (AP) — A man and a woman in Jonesboro are in custody after officers executing a search warrant found pipe bombs, bomb-making material and weapons at a house. Craighead County Sheriff Marty Boyd says authorities called in local agents from the FBI to assist after the explosives were found Sunday night. Boyd says one person in the home was on probation and authorities were investigating reports of drugs in the home. Law enforcement cor...

Bond Hearing (Sept. 21, 2013(The following individuals appeared in bond hearings Friday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear Oct. 21 in Circuit Court. • Jennifer Bradley, 42, two counts delivery of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) — $7,500. An agent with the Arkansas State Police testified that approximately six months ago, Bradley sold methamphetamine to a confidentia...

Left-behind phone leads to burglary suspect FORT SMITH (AP) — Fort Smith police investigating the burglary of a business had no trouble developing a suspect after they found a mobile phone that was left behind at the company. Police said Thursday that the phone was plugged into a charge at the business, where computer equipment, a safe and a pickup truck were stolen early Wednesday. Investigators looked at the Facebook profile on the phone and it was for 44-year-old Michael Lee Lonewolf...

Driver, 23, arrested after chase in DardanelleDARDANELLE — A suspect is in custody facing several misdemeanor and one felony charge after leading police on a high-speed chase early Wednesday morning. Douglas Jenkins, 23, of Russellville was allegedly spotted by a Dardanelle Police officer shortly after midnight Wednesday driving at a high rate of speed. A report issued by the DPD stated the officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Jenkins, driving a black Ford Mustang, sped up in...

Bond Hearings (Sept. 19, 2013)The following individual appeared in felony bond hearings Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. Listed below is his name, age, charges and bond amounts. He is expected to appear Oct. 21 in Circuit Court. • William Linton, 35, two counts delivery of methamphetmine — $7,500. Charges were filed in March against Linton, who allegedly sold methamphetmine to confidential informants with the Fifth Judicial District Drug Task force twice in S...